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Richard Grayson
"Do you have any idea what it's like, drifitng through life without a purpose? Batman gave me a purpose. Which means he gave me everything." Richard Grayson, known to the criminal underworld by his vigilante codename of Robin, is Batman's longtime partner and lieutenant in his crusade against injustice. Driven and fearless, Richard is more good-humored than his mentor and while proud to serve at Batman's side, he is developing a growing desire to find an identity outside of his mentor's shadow. Personality Richard Grayson, also known as Robin, is Batman's partner and lieutenant in his war on crime. Fearless and armed with extensive training from Batman as well as an arsenal of gadgets and the invincibility of youth, Richard is proving to be a highly skilled and talented hero in his own right. Richard is, on average, an easy-going young man. He tends to go with the flow, dealing with situations as they arise, unlike Bruce, who tends to stew, brood and obsess. Calm and in control, Richard rarely loses his temper or otherwise lets a situation spiral so badly that he can't figure out a way to recover. Despite everything that he's gone through, Richard is surprisingly optimistic and has a good sense of humor; he's almost always ready with a quip or quick retort, unlike his mentor's more stoic persona. While he does not seem to take things too seriously, Richard care deeply for people and knows when to stop with the jokes. Richard is very physically active; exercising and training is just a part of his life at this point. A side-effect from this is that he is able to perform usually exhausting or physically demanding things as a matter of course; for example, he has a tendency to parkour from place to place, do handstaked and balance on precarious surfaces for fun. Richard is very smart; he has tested with an IQ of genius level. He is gifted with computers and despite a general lack of education, he is surprisingly well-read. He is also incredibly resourceful, able to think and improvise his way out of nearly any situation. As Robin, he tends not to garner as much fear or respect as Batman (in fact, most people don't realize he exists). But he is quickly gaining a reputation all his own as Batman's partner. He is rather good at the work, such as when he and Barbara broke up the Zookeeper's 'dog fighting ring without Batman' help. Like Bruce, Richard utilizes a public persona to draw suspicion from him, concerning his vigilante activity. Richard's persona is one of a shy, awkward, klutzy teenager. He doesn't play sports or participate in any extracurricular activities that could showcase his physique or natural skill. As such, he tends to be isolated from his peers. Surprisingly, this doesn't seem to bother him a great deal, as he doesn't feel like he has much in common with kids his age. He grew up around aliens, demigods and superhuman heroes, fighting unspeakable evils and monsters for God's sake. That's not something a lot of other kids can relate to. Despite having never had a girlfriend, Richard is surprisingly charming when he wants to be, and he has something of a surprisingly flirty personality, even as Robin. He tend to show off for girls he finds attractive, doing handstands, flips and other physical things that are relatively unnecessary in order to impress them. While he finds all women beautiful, he has a particular taste for curvy blondes (thanks to a childhood crush on Marilynn Monroe). But the women he develops real feelings for are spunky, passionate, courageous women who can keep up with him, both physically and in terms of adventure. As such, he tends to be attracted to fellow vigilantes and, as it happens, older women. Unfortunately, due to his age and the fact that Bruce has the same type, Richard has never had a girlfriend and tends to be overlooked or written off as Batman's "kid sidekick". This has damaged his self-esteem considerably. His age is actually one of the few things Richard is a bit sore about. He has always been surprisingly mature for his age, as living on your own as a homeless orphan forces you to grow up pretty fast. Tough and resourceful, Richard is more than capable of taking care of himself. On top of that, he has faced almost every challenge that Bruce and the rest of the old team faced (aliens, monsters, Amazons, etc) and on average, performed just as well--if not better--than the others. But despite this, Richard is still treated like a kid, even at seventeen years old. Batman doesn't trust him to go out on his own missions and continues to micromanage his activities as Robin. Diana and Clarke have always seen him like a little kid, and even Barbara only sees him as Bruce's ward; she is unable to look past his age and see the person he's become. Due to this, Richard tends to take unnecessary risks in order to prove himself. Richard also still has a lot of bad habits from his time as a vagabond. He tends to eye any new opportunity with suspicion, and he also has a habit of hoarding money or food; when he eats, he eats fast and he eats a lot, because he grew up not knowing where his next meal is going to come from. He is also a light sleeper who still suffers from nightmares from not only his parents' deaths, but things that happened while he was on the road; he will often wake up screaming in the middle of the night. He also tends to be territorial with where he sleeps and with things he considers to be "his". In all, however, Richard is a driven, fearless and skilled vigilante who, while proud to serve as Batman's lieutenant, is beginning to develop a desire to find an identity outside of his mentor's shadow. History Early Life Richard was born the only son of circus performers John and Mary Grayson, Romanian acrobats from Viseu de Sus, Romania (thus, he was born with dual-citizenship). As a baby, Richard was always very curious and precocious, getting into things and going places he shouldn't be. Moreover, Richard was always a brave kid. He seemed fearless, scaling things, balancing on narrow ledges and expressing an interesting in performing with his parents at the circus as an acrobat. To this end, almost as soon as Richard could walk, he was learning how to vault, swing, jump and climb. Growing up in a traveling circus certainly had its advantages; he met all sorts of people and learned skills he wouldn't have picked up anywhere else: the psycholog behind guessing weight and reading fortunes, picking pockets, trapeze, throwing knives, card tricks, how to breathe fire, handle snakes, horses, lions, elephants and other exotic animals. He loved his circus family, he loved life and generally was a very happy little boy. Tragedy Things were not meant to last, as it happened. On a New Years' Eve show in Orlando, just weeks after his 6th birthday, Richard witnessed his parents fall to their deaths during a show. Richard was always convinced there was foul play, as his father always double-checked equipment before a performance. Although C.C. Haly, owner of the circus, tried to get legal guardianship of the boy, things fell through and Richard soon found himself in the foster system. Over the next few months, Richard stayed in a series of boys' homes and foster families. He got into fights at the boys' homes and he acted out toward his foster families, who never kept him more than a few weeks at a time. Feeling embittered at the system, Richard ran away during the Fourth of July fireworks, vanishing into the night. Vagabond On his own as a six year old homeless child, Richard got around mostly by pretending to be lost, breaking into restaurants after hours and picking pockets. He mostly slept by squatting in abandoned apartments and traveled either by sneaking onto buses, trains or stealing bicycles. The streets were a rough place, especially for a kid. He learned how to fight to defend himself. Smaller than most other kids, Richard also learned how to use his speed and agility to his advantage. His aim was also impeccable, so his training at throwing knives came in handy (though he threw rocks and glass bottles now). He also utilized his natural dexterity and acrobat training to run away from fights he couldn't win; his skill evolved so that he could climb, run up walls and parkour like a professional. When he was eleven years old, during a stint in St. Louis, he saw a girl getting mugged. He decided to intervene and, covering his face and wearing a hood, he climbed the side of the building and leapt down at the attacker, fighting him off and saving the lady. This was his first real act of heroism and it provided him with a rush that made him come back to help people again and again, though it took him a long time to understand why. The life was never easy, but Richard somehow managed, going from city to city, evading local police and generally living destitute, lonely and without purpose. But it also sharpened his senses, honed his physical skills and toughened him up, all things that would aid him in what was to come. Young Justice By late 2012, Richard found himself in the Pacific Northwest for the first time. His travels took him to Seattle, Washington, where he settled down in an abandoned apartment by the Bay. He liked the city, he liked the people and he decided to stay for awhile. It wasn't long before he stumbled across a bank robbery in progress, being perpetrated by a bunch of rubes wearing playing card masks. Heeding the call, Richard leapt into action, taking the gang down with the help of a group of people he would one day call friends: Diana Prince, John Stewart and the Green Arrow; aka, Oliver Queen. Richard left right after the fight but was soon confronted by Diana, who wanted to "help him" because he was "just a kid". Yeah, he'd heard that before. He left her there and assumed he'd never see her again. Only a week later, he picked the pocket of a young Bruce Wayne, who immediatey took an interest in the boy. Richard was followed by Bruce for nearly another week; Richard was observed stopping muggers, phoning in anonymous police tips on crimes he saw going down, helping people however he could. Of course, Richard also stole wallets and watches, made prank phone calls, squatted and broke into several businesses. But something in the boy must have impressed Wayne, because he appeared to Richard as Batman, offering him a better way. He offered Richard a chance to make a real difference, to help him fight injustice as his lieutenant in his crusade. Without a moment's hesitation, Richard accepted. He moved into the manor along with Bruce and Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's "valet" and mentor. Despite a rocky start, Richard became one of them and he learned a lot from both of them. For more than a year, Richard fought alongside Batman and the rest of the Team, growing close to Diana Prince, Clark Kent, Wally West and the others. For the first time, Richard was part of something greater, part of a family. Together, they faced Manhunter robots from space, masked supervillains, greek monsters, Amazon warriors, the forced of Cadmus Labs and even alien gods. But it was not to last. After the devastating aftermath of the Battle of New York, in which Richard suffered horrible wounds at the hands of General Zod, the Team fell apart and the group went their separate ways. Bruce tried to convince Richard to leave his custody; he'd help Richard find a family that could support him, take care of him, help him live a normal life. But Richard didn't want that. He was Bruce's lieutenant and that was that. So without even saying goodbye, Bruce, Richard and Alfred left Echo Bay for the one city in the world Bruce had sworn never to return to: Gotham City, Virginia. Batman & Robin For nearly three months, RIchard, Bruce and Alfred lived in the caves beneath Wayne Manor under an air of secrecy. For those months, they worked on retrofitting the cave into their base of operations during the day and then prowling the streets at night. The bulk of their early missions pit them up against the mob; the Falcone family, the Maronis, the Gambol family. The main focus, however, was not on putting an end to it, but for reconaissance; to build a mythos behind the Batman, to make him feared throughout the underworld. Robin, specifically, was more of an informant than anything, at least in title. He often snuck out, taking down muggers or stopping bank robbers or leaving small bundles of food or money for people who needed it in the East End. When Bruce Wayne announced he had officially returned to Gotham City, he announced that he had taken young orphan Richard Grayson under his care, making him his official ward. A controversial move, to be sure and one that caused a lot of hushed whispers, but Richard didn't care. That was all a part of the cover. And so was forcing him to attend private school. That move, uh, was a little less to Richard's liking but he excelled in his classes. Batman & Robin spent the next two years fighting crime throughout Gotham City, waiting until the moment was right to reveal their presence to the city, never knowing that doing so would change things forever. Notable Accomplishments --Became Robin (''Young Justice, Season 1) --Fought against the Manhunters (Young Justice, Season 1) --Fought in the Battle of Anchorage (Young Justice, Season 1) --Fought in the Battle of Echo Bay (Young Justice, Season 1) --Fought in the Battle of New York (Young Justice, Season 2) --Dismantled the Zookeeper's Operation (Gotham Knights, S01E02.5) ''--''Assisted in quelling the Arkham Halloween Riot (Three Little Pigs; S01E03) Notable Victories '''--King Shark (Young Justice, Season 1) '--KGBeast' (Young Justice, Season 1) '--Count Vertigo' (Young Justice, Season 1) '--A Minotaur' (Young Justice, Season 1) Relationships with Others Bruce Wayne Defining exactly what Bruce Wayne is to Richard is a very difficult thing to do. Bruce took in the young orphan, set him on a new path, gave him purpose. Bruce taught him how to fight, about academia and sciences and the art of detection. Through the years, Richard has become one of Bruce's most trusted allies, friends and confidants. Richard is his partner and lieutenant in the war on crime, a role Richard is proud to play. More than that, Bruce has taught Richard how to be a good person and what it means to be a man. From Bruce, Richard has learned honesty, self-sacrifice, courage in the face of overwhelming odds and the real meaning of friendship and family. There isn't anything Richard wouldn't do for Bruce and he knows that the inverse is true, as well. Despite their many arguments and squabbles and disagreements and moments of petty fighting, in the end, they always have each others' backs. So, to describe what Bruce is to Richard. Is he a friend? A brother? A father? Yes. He is. Alfred Pennyworth Whatever Bruce is to Richard, Alfred is to Bruce. The grumpy, sarcastic, cynical old Brit taught Bruce the foundation of everything that Bruce knows. But moreover, Alfred is like a father to Bruce and he definitely has a strong hand in raising Richard. Where Bruce has always been stern and angry, Alfred has always been there to temper that rage and comfort Richard when Bruce is "being a little twat", as Alfred would say. Alfred has always been there for Richard and Bruce, acting as a sane voice of reason in their rapidly dark world of scum, violence and horror. Like Bruce, Richard sees Alfred as a father figure and he would die to protect him. Selina Kyle When Richard first met Selina, he only knew her as "Irene Kitt". But there was something about her he couldn't shake. But he got to know her, and the more he got to know her, the more he began to understand that he was in love with her. He worked hard to try to get to know her and volunteered to follow her to New York to protect her. Selina continued to surprise him, though, when he discovered she was the vigilante/thief known as Catwoman. This changed nothing, however; he still thinks she is the coolest, funniest and most clever girl he knows. She's the first girl to make his hear sing and the knowledge that she loves him too is almost more than he can believe. He's not asking questions, though, and is just blissfully going along for the ride. Barbara Gordon Barbara Gordon, officially codenamed Oracle, serves as the team's resident technology expert and forensic analyst. She also functions as an occasional field ally and, although she isn't the most highly-trained vigilante in the world but in Richard's opinion, she's the most valuable member of the team. She has completely revolutionized the way the team fights crime, and he honestly wonders how they managed without her. She has also brought a light into the Cave that wasn't there before. Richard used to have a huge crush on Barbara, but that never really panned out. She was in love with Bruce, now she's with Edward...the timing never really worked out. Now, even though he doesn't have romantic feelings for her anymore, he still cares about her almost more than anyone else, and he's more than happy to keep her safe and be her friend. Diana Prince Diance Prince, daughter of Amazonian Queen Hippolyta and the Greek god Zeus, was the first person to really stick out her neck and care about him. Despite his initial distrust of her, he has come to see her like a big sister. He admires her inner strength, her compassion and her unflinching resolve to do what's right. After everything they've been through, Diana has become one of the people whom Richard trusts above all others. Vicki Vale VIcki is RIchard's best friend at Graystone. Smart as a whip, tenacious, observant and passionate, Vicki is a good friend. She is the reason Richard is involved in drama classes at all; she loves the stage and dragged Richard along behind her. He enjoys spending time with her and she's one of the few people he doesn't really have to pretend around. Vicki hopes to one day be a journalist, and she often brings Richard with her "on assignment" as her photographer, which is odd because Richard isn't that good at taking pictures. She insists he's great, though. Maybe she sees something in him that he missed himself. Clark Kent Nobody would suspect the mild-mannered farmboy was a borderline-unstoppable alien from another world, but here we are. During his time in Echo Bay, Clark acted like a big brother to Richard and served as a rational voice and moral compass in Richard's life. Though he initially thought he was a huge dork, Richard came to see a hero in Clark and has grown to respect the man Clark is, especially the fact that he uses his immense power only to protect others. Wally West Wally, also known as The Flash, was a good friend to Richard back in Echo Bay. Wally taught Richard how to talk to girls and how to skateboard, and the two often played video games or board games together. Wally was also the go-to guy to keep an eye on Richard when nobody else was available, and though Richard never felt he needed a babysitter, he enjoyed hanging out with Wally. After the group split up, Wally is the only member of the old team that Richard still maintains contact with, apart from Diana. Arthur Curry Richard always got along with the Atlantean powerhouse known as Aquaman. He always had pretty good taste in music, and Arthur taught Richard how to play the guitar. Powers and Abilities Mundane Training '--Disguise: '''Richard has been trained in ways to utilize various wigs, make-up, changes of clothing and other tricks to alter his appearance and voice to pretend to be someone else. He is very skilled at the art of disguise and is only getting better thanks to drama classes at school. '--Driving: Richard has been trained by Bruce how to drive a variety of land, air and water-based vehicles, though Richard's favorite are motorcycles. He is skilled in high-speed driving, pursuit, shadowing, blending and offensive driving, in both favorable and unfavorable conditions, such as storms, in broken roads, off-road or in high traffic areas. '--Escapology: '''Richard has extensive training in the art of escaping from handcuffs, straightjackets and other bonds. He first learned how to do this before he even met Bruce, during his time at the circus. He's so good at this that he once beat Bruce's record. '--Excellent Physical Condition: Due to a vigorous, almost brutal training regimen, Richard is in near-peak physical condition. He is faster, stronger and more durable than his age and build would otherwise suggest. '--Hand-to-Hand Combat:' Richard is an adept fighter, having studied under Batman, Alfred, Diana Prince, Oliver Queen and others. His skill is such that he has fought his mentor to a standstill. He is proficient in various forms of hand-to-hand combat, such Aikido, Boxing, Capoeira, Hapkido, Savate and Taijiquan. He is beginning study of Escrima, Judo and Wing Chun. '--Indomitable Will: '''Like Bruce, Richard has a very strong, nearly unbreakable will. He has been shown able to resist the debilitating effects of Scarecrow's fear toxin, he has been shown being able to resist answering the Lasso of Truth, shaking off the mind-control effects and seeing through the illusions of various magic spells (such as those cast by the Amazons and John Constantine), shutting out the telepathy of the Martian Manhunter and absolutely refuses to back down or surrender, no matter what or how overwhelming the odds are. Even in the face of death and complete anihilation, Richard refuses to go down without a fight. '--Intimidation:' Though he dislikes it, Richard has shown to be competent in the art of interrogation and intimidation, proving to be nearly as effective as his mentor. '--Investigation: Richard has studied the art of detecting, investigation and deductive reasoning under Bruce. After roughly four years, Richard has become proficient at it; he is observant and skilled in putting clues together. He is quickly becoming as adept as Bruce himself, though he still has a long way to go and a lot to learn. '''--Leadership: Richard has shown to be a competent leader in the field from his various excursions into the East End with Barbara. '--Master Acrobat:' Richard is a natural athlete and acrobat, and is one of three people in the world who can pull of a quadruple flip (Batman not among them). He possesses an above-average level physical skill, natural dexterity and agility and coordination. '--Multilingual: '''Richard has been continually learning languages since he met Bruce. Richard is fluent in English and Romanian from his family, and his since learned Greek, Spanish, French, Japanese and Chinese. He is currently learning Russian and Arabic, with designs on German, Dutch, Czech and Swahili (all languages he knows snippets and certain phrases of). He also has some knowledge of the Kryptonian language. '--Parkour:' The French art of getting from point A to point B as efficiently as possible, this movement style involves climbing, jumping, landing and otherwise navigating obejcts (both natural and manmade) with grace, dexterity and fearlessness. '--Polyscience: Richard has studied various sciences under Bruce and Alfred. He is skilled with chemistry, biology, anatomy, physics, earth sciences, metallurgy, and basic forensics and medicine. '''--Shadowing: One of Richard's greatest assets is his ability to silently stalk, observe and follow targets without being seen. '--Stealth:' Richard is naturally graceful and can move without being seen or heard. '--Technology:' Richard is an expert with various tech and is an adept hacker. Before Barbara came to the Batcave, Richard was resident hacker, a role he has gladly given up to her. '--Throwing Weapons: '''Richard has been throwing knives since he could walk. He is also an expert at throwing modified shuriken that he has dubbed Batarangs. '--Tracking: Bruce and Alfred have taught Richard various methods of hunting and tracking prey utilized in the armed forced, the Australian bush and by various African tribes. '--Weapons Training: '''Along with hand-to-hand training, Richard has undergone extensive weapons training. While he is proficient in several weapons, his specialty is the Quarterstaff, though he is showing promise with escrima sticks. Paraphernelia '--Batarangs: 'These shuriken have been modified to have a bat-like shape. It is a non-lethal, ranged weapon and a serviceable alternative to firearms. '--Explosive Gel: Used to break structures, such as walls, doors and weak floors. '--Grapple Gun:' Conceived as an all-purpose device that could fire projectiles for search and rescue as well as light combat, a Wayne Enterprises pneumatic grappling gun that used pressurized gas to create motion was the perfect device to make criminals think that Batman can fly. After moving to Gotham, Bruce had a second gun made for Robin. The gun works by shooting a thin monofilament wire with a magnetic hooklike grapple, which, when anchored to a sturdy object, can hoist humans, as well as objects of great weight, with both speed and precison. While mainly used as a form of transportation, it can also be used offensively by hooking into a target and pulling them toward Robin. '--Memoryweave Cape:' A lightweight, fire-resistant material that stiffens when an electric current runs through it, the cape is used for concealment, to disarm foes, and to glide through the air. The cape comes with a hood, primarily as a means of identity protection and intimidation. The hood, when up, also disguises Robin's voice. '--Quarterstaff:' This staff is collapsable and made of a highly durable metal, making it nearly impossible to break. It is Richard's main weapon and he is skilled in its use. '--Robin Uniform: '''This uniform consist of hardened kevlar plates on a titanium-dipped fiber, broken into multiple pieces of armor over a more flexible bodysuitf. This provides Robin with greater mobility than Batman to better utilize Robin's quicker, more acrobatic fighting style. The trade-off, however, is increased vulnerability to injury from knives or gunfire. The boots are grind-capable, the gauntlets come prepared with a mobile wireless hotspot and various interlinks, allowing it to interface with nearly any computer within 30 feet. A strong electric current runs through it, preventing anyone but Richard from removing it. '--Smoke Pellet:' These small, metal pellets release a large cloud of thick smoke when they make sharp contact with a solid surface. Used primarily as a means of obscuring himself when forced into the open or as a quick means of escape. '--Utility Belt:' The Utility Belt is a specialized belt Robin wears to equip his crime-fighting gear. The utility belt is a modified climbing harness, with magnetized impact-resistant pouches, and canisters attached to the belt at ergonomic points for ease of reach. It carries the magnetic gas-powered grapple gun, an encrypted cell phone, Batarangs, a medical kit, smoke bombs, mini explosives, periscope, pen-light, lockpicks, mini-cam, money, and other unspecified equipment. Weaknesses '--Proud:' Richard is very proud and is very reluctant to ever ask for help. He dislikes being pitied, so he goes out of his way to do everything he can on his own. '--Reckless:' Talented and fearless, Richard is prone to taking unnecessary risks. Notes --Richard's faceclaim is Andrew Garfield. Young Richard's faceclaim was a young Asa Butterfield. Trivia --Richard has a fondness for old movies, especially those featuring Mariylnn Monroe. As a result, he has a thing for blondes. --Richard's first kiss was Selina Kyle. --Growing up, he loved the stories of Robin Hood. In fact, his vigilante persona was inspired by the archer of Sherwood Forest and the name "Robin" is derived from Robin Hood. --Favorite bands are ''The Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, The White Stripes, The Hives, The Decemberists, Passion Pit, Unicorn Kid, Daft Punk and Plumtree. --Is a fan of bow ties and suspenders. He just thinks thye're cool. --Richard loves elephants, partially due to growing up with one. --Richard is the one who has to take care of both dogs around Wayne Manor. ---His favorite TV show is Twin Peaks. --Favorite movies are Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Die Hard and the newer James Bond films. --Favorite colors are red and green. --Favorite books are Of Mice and Men, World War Z and American Gods. Category:Male Characters Category:Native of Earth-Prime Category:Bat-Family Category:Robins Category:Vigilantes Category:Chaotic Good Characters Category:Season 1 Characters Category:Gotham Knights Category:Human Category:Young Justice